The Devil's Betrothed novel Chapter 186

Chapter 186: Secret Behind The Scent Of A Mate

Arlan and Drayce, who were still discussing inside the drawing room, heard the petty quarrel between Oriana and Rafal. Arlan was amused to witness Oriana growing irritated, and by the time she finished treatment, the grin on his face widened.

"Are you proud? Drayce commented. "You got a fierce one."

"Fierce is good. Interesting to tame."

"I wonder if you will end up tamed instead."

"I am not like you."

"Do not forget she is your mate."

"Not mine. I am a human and we don’t have your concept of mates."

"We will see." Drayce smirked at him mockingly. "I will wait for the day when you eat your own words."

Arlan sneered at him. "All I want is her presence."

"And her scent?"

"It comes with her presence."

"Does it?" Those red eyes seemed amused at his denial. "It’s a scent only unique to you."

Arlan threw a cautious look his way. Drayce had little to no humor. For him to be like this, it seemed like a trap.

"Hmm," Drayce nodded. "Do you want to know the secrets behind why males are tempted by a potential mate’s scent and why they are only unique to you?"

"Something that has to do with a unique scent, since you so kindly mentioned it earlier."

Drayce nodded. "Why are you initially attracted to her? It is because her scent is specifically only for you, the kind you want, the kind you need. What does her scent remind you of?"

Arlan did not even have to think about it. "Honeysuckles. She smells like honeysuckles in summer."

"How does it make you feel?"

To such a question, Arlan took a while to collect his honest thoughts. "Gives me a feeling of summer, I guess. The kind of sunny summer where there is no darkness and just bright light everywhere. Like the warm refreshing breeze of summer that takes away the chilly coldness I feel in the darkness..."

"Exactly what you need," Drayce commented. "That’s the kind of unique scent that pulls you towards her. Our mate’s scent is tailored by the world on what brings the greatest comfort to us. That is what it means to have a destined mate."

Arlan continued, "Those flowers were what my mother liked the most. I grew up always having them around me. After her death, I forgot as no one seemed to like those flowers in the palace. That scent brings me comfort from my childhood, back when I was with my mother, how protected and comforted I felt with her."

"You got your answer then," Drayce commented.

Arlan sighed, his gaze distant. A bitter smile hung on his face. Memories about his mother, no matter the good or the bad, had never failed to evoke pain in him. He changed the subject, "What does Seren smell like to you?"

-----

After Oriana returned the medicinal supplies she borrowed, she went to the servant quarters to change out of her dirty outdoor clothes. The familiar fabric of her attendant uniform gave her a strange, calming feeling.

’That was not a dream, right? That really happened, right? Right?’ She stared at the small rips on the dirty linen on the table. ’A group of mysterious people attacked us. They wanted to get Queen Seren, and they would not mind spilling other’s blood.’

Inside the safety and comfort of her room, accompanied with nothing but the sound of her own movements, the fear she suppressed came rushing back. It was the first time she experienced being surrounded by a hostile group like that, each of them with the intent to kill. The events inside the temple made her shudder.

’Those assassins...’

She felt confused, powerless and helpless.

She recalled how Rafal received a deadly attack. How the knight vomited blood as he slammed against the wall. How those robed people were thrown off the ground when she accidentally called forth that tornado.

’Has it always been this easy to hurt people?’

Though she did save her group, she had also inevitably hurt other people in the process as well. When the wind raged outside of her control, even Seren and Xena were affected. Her body shivered at the memory of the temple nearly collapsing on them. If Yorian and Slayer did not pull them to safety...

’The world of magic and witchcraft is dangerous. Do I,’ she hesitated, ’do I really want to be a part of this world?’

Oriana didn’t know. She wished someone would answer that question for her.